PM unveils dream Digital India

thestatesman.com/ Agencies | July 1, 2015 12:19 pm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the "Digital India Week" as part of the larger initiative to empower the people and extend services better with the use of information technology and its tools.

“Design in India is very important, just like Make In India is important. Why can’t we make quality electronic goods that are globally competitive,” he said at the inauguration ceremony here.

“I dream of a Digital India where the world looks to India for the next innovation. We must assure the world through innovation that if it is a product of India, the world is secure in the cyber world,” he said.

Modi believes Informmation and communication technology can be used as a big instrument to develop the country and said that Digital India will enable “investment of Rs 4.5 lakh crore”, ensure jobs for 18 lakh people.”

The prime minister also unveiled a logo for Digital India, an umbrella programme that seeks to transform India into a digitally-empowered, knowledge economy with a host of initiatives for a synchronized and coordinated engagement of the government and its agencies.

For this scheme, the prime minister has already been named chairman of a high-powered monitoring committee and all existing and ongoing e-governance initiatives will be revamped to align them with the larger principles of "Digital India", according to an official statement.

The larger goal of Digital India includes broadband connectivity in all panchayats, Wi-fi in all the schools and universities and public wi-fi hotspots in all important cities by 2019. It will be deployed in delivering services in areas like health, education, agriculture and banking.

Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director, Reliance Industries Ltd too attended the event said that his company will invest over Rs.250,000 crore acrose the Digital India pillars.

“I believe Digital India will be a huge success because of the adoption of technology by the youth of India.

“The youth of this country aspire for merit-based opportunity and want progress. Digital India, as we have seen, empowers them to fulfill their aspirations,” he said and added that his company Reliance Digital will create employment for over 5 lakh people.